Perfectionist?
That was me in my younger years. While perfectionism might sound like a positive thing to many, it most definitely has a dark, very self-destructive side. Since "perfection" is a fleeting, maybe even unattainable, goal, it sets up those who strive for it or, demand it of themselves, for much more frustration than satisfaction. Too much focus on the goal or destination rather than on the process or the journey.
I also found that this behavior mindset also fostered procrastination with assignments at home, school, at work. That was a task that I did not believe that I could do perfectly, I would avoid it all together. Or leave it to the last minute -- sometimes too late.
Some three / four decades ago I started coming to the realization that this perfectionism was causing me a lot of grief and was self-destructive.
I eventually learned to embrace the notion that striving for excellence was more productive, more rewarding, less anxiety-ridden than demanding perfection of oneself. To some, those sound like two sides of the same coin.
But closer examination reveals that this is not true. The drive for excellence allows one to enjoy the learning process, learning from one's mistakes. We can think of perfection as a destination (possibly, an unattainable goal) whereas excellence is the journey.
